Meetings Gone Wrong
by ShiroHichi891
Summary: What would happen if a certain Substitute Shinigami lost control of his temperamental hollow in the middle of a captain's meeting? Let's see how this all plays out as Ichigo's hollow gives a demonstration to the Seireitei captains of exactly how powerful he really is. No pairings.
1. The Meeting

"_The only summit meeting that can succeed is the one that does not take place." –Barry Goldwater_

**Edited on 2/22/13**

**Disclaimer: I don't have the awesome power of being able to own Bleach. Tite Kubo does. Sorry people. :/**

**Summary: What would happen if a certain Substitute Shinigami lost control of his temperamental hollow in the middle of a captain's meeting? Let's see how this all plays out as Ichigo's hollow gives a demonstration to the Seireitei captains of exactly how powerful he really is. No pairings. **

**Rating: T for violence and slight language. **

**Dedicated to the wonderful GGCharms. **

**Text Key:**

"Blah" – **Normal dialogue**

'_Blah'_ – **Thoughts**

"**Blah"** **– Hollow speaking**

'_**Blah'**_** – Hollow talking in head**

* * *

_Research and Development Department_

A harsh beeping from a large machine abruptly arose, echoing throughout the wide room with its repeating tone. The source of the disturbance was a small red dot flashing evenly across the luminescent monitor. The individual working at this particular station quickly took notice and swiveled his chair to observe the cause.

After mere seconds of scrutiny, the scientist - dressed in a pristine white lab coat covering his black robes and adorning thick spectacles - beckoned his superior, Akon, to his location. Once the experienced man arrived at his colleague's side, he questioned the reasoning for this summons which was promptly answered.

"Sir, our scanners have detected a high hollow reiatsu of an unusual caliber in this sector," he motioned to the red area pulsing on the screen, "And this isn't the first time that this signature has appeared in this area either." The analyst returned to his monitor and began typing on the keyboard at a rapid pace before a data sheet printed out from below.

"According to our data, there have been four previous appearances of this exact hollow reiatsu near this approximate location throughout the past week. But, the strange thing is that each time after it appears it quickly vanishes without leaving a trace." To emphasize his statement, the blinking dot and consistent beeping faded, leaving the lab in a lulling hush.

Akon cupped his chin in the palm of his hand while in thought, "Where is this appearing most frequently?"

"Karakura Town, sector four."

"What residential or on duty Shinigami are scheduled there at this time?"

The scientist took a couple seconds to briskly type once again on his broad keyboard, "None are there at the moment, but the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, lives there according to our records."

"What is the best way to establish a line of communication with Kurosaki?"

"Nothing as far as we are aware," the observer stated, "Except through indirect methods of other Shinigami that were present."

"Alright," Akon sighed and rubbed the area to the side of his protruding horns, "We need information from him on this situation as soon as possible. Send a message to Kurosaki via Hell Butterfly requesting his presence with a brief explanation. It will be easier and more efficient if he came to Soul Society in person to discuss this case."

"Right away, sir! Where would you like him to report? Since he is only a Representative and not a registered Shinigami, it would make the standard procedure more complicated."

"Have him first gain clearance with Yamamoto-Soutaichou. After, he can come here," Akon ordered, attempting to prevent an oncoming headache as he rubbed his temples.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

_The Next Day_

The captains formed two parallel lines in the voluminous meeting hall. Yamamoto, wooden staff in hand, resided in the back of the room, silently observing the routine checks regarding recent activity of each division and information concerning the continuing war. Hitsugaya had stepped forward, just about to begin his report when the penetrating sound of loud yelling outside the main doors gathered everyone's attention.

"You are not authorized to go in there! A meeting is in progress and you cannot disrupt it!" the muffled voice of one of the guards wildly screeched.

"Like I give a damn," another very recognizable voice bluntly declared.

"N-no! You can't just–"

The extravagant wooden doors were forcefully kicked open and a familiar orange-headed teen walked in, harboring no care for how disruptive his actions were. The guard was still frantically struggling to pull the Substitute back by his arm in a fruitless effort wielding no success.

"Oi, I was told to come talk with you, ojiisan," Ichigo said in a nonchalant manner.

The Soutaichou paused momentarily before he answered the youth, "Indeed, I recall a notice that you would be arriving. Although," his features and tone hardened considerably at this point, "You _should_ have waited until the appropriate time, impudent child."

"Whatever. I just want to get through this as quick as possible. I have a history test tomorrow that I need to study for."

"Why you insolent…" Soi Fon started, extremely irate at the attitude being displayed towards her superior.

"Very well," Yamamoto pronounced, dismissing the guard with a short nod of his head who closed the doors behind him in reluctance, "This should not take long I presume. What is your reasoning for being here, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo shrugged half-heartedly, "Hell, I'm not really sure. All I was told was that some guys from the research place wanted to talk to me about hollow activities in Karakura."

"Are you aware of how long this discussion will take?" Yamamoto questioned with a slight raise of his eyebrow.

"I don't think it should take too long from what they've told me." Ichigo flinched briefly after saying this, clenching his fists with a wince. He quickly relaxed, only displaying minute signs of discomfort. The captains silently took notice of this occurrence, but none commented.

The head captain nodded transiently in understanding, "If that is all, then you may continue with this meeting."

"Thanks, ojiisan."

The young Shinigami began to turn around towards the exit, when he suddenly stopped; frozen for a mere second in suspended animation. A sharp, agonizing pain assaulted his body originating from his head, causing him to cripple to the floor on his side with a yelp. His hands shot up, grabbing large sections of his orange hair as his head felt like it would split in two. His entire body shook from the pain, becoming so unbearable that he screamed out in agony.

Some captains retreated a step backwards in surprise at the unexpected outburst. The rest cautiously tried to make their way to the suffering youth's side to attempt to help him in any way possible. Yamamoto's grip on his cane tightened, body posture tensing as he observed what was transpiring before him. This unexplained event was becoming increasingly more suspicious coupling the fact that his reiatsu was rapidly changing from a Shinigami's to a hollow's, drawing everyone's notice.

Abruptly, the screaming ceased, instead rapidly replaced with a bone-chilling laughter echoing in a double voice.

With quick, unnaturally smooth movements, Ichigo pushed off the floor and flipped in mid-air, alarming many that were approaching him. He landed near the enormous doors, head bowed so that his hair obscured his eyes from view. As he slowly raised his head, the golden irises swimming in endless black pools paired with a partial white-masked face were exposed for all to see, eliciting many startled gasps.

Without warning, the being emitting pure hollow reiatsu swung the six-foot sword from his back and attacked the person nearest to him; the sickly Ukitake.

The ailing captain hastily drew his zanpakuto from its scabbard, blocking the powerful strike that was aimed to slice through his neck. Ukitake was pushed back and thrown with astonishing strength into a nearby wall. Kyoraku, who was coming to his friend's aid, only managed to get in the way, being taken out in the process.

The hollow or thing that was clearly not Ichigo was besieged from the side by the insanely gleeful Kenpachi. Expertly maneuvering his sword, the hollow intercepted the oncoming strike, adorning the same maniacal grin as his attacker.

Both combats steadily held each other at bay, sparks jumping from their weapons. The possessed teen released a ghastly laugh resounding off the enclosed walls and leapt straight into the air, avoiding Soi Fon's released zanpakuto aimed at his back. With a twist, the demon landed beside Byakuya.

Due to the relatively small space of the room compared to that of a battle field, the fighting capacities were severely limited, especially Byakuya's ability to release his zanpakuto into its more expansive state without endangering all around him in the process. He was thusly forced to use his sword while sealed to fight off the beast before him.

The hollow drew his sword back, obsidian energy coating its surface in a thick blanket, and released an incredibly fast Getsuga Tenshou. The attack surged towards Byakuya rapidly, allowing no chance to evade or block as it crashed into his chest with full force. He was sent flying, sliding down the wall limply with an appalling burn decorating the impacting site seeping blood.

Now keenly aware of the menacing threat this foe presented, the remaining captains silently resolved to fight cooperatively instead of individually. As one they attacked, attempting to defeat the beast through the power of numbers. The monster simply offered a feral grin at their foolish actions.

The hollow dodged each strike, slash, and thrust directed at him, weaving between attacks with graceful ease, returning many of them with his own. Then, three separate blades descended on the demon's form with no foreseeable escape. He disappeared in a flash, the blades contacting only with each other and empty space. Seconds later he reappeared on the adjacent side of the room, lifting his sword that was prepared to release a massive Getsuga at the group.

At this moment, Yamamoto decided that enough was finally enough.

The Soutaichou's heavy reiatsu descended upon the room's occupants like a thousand pound weight, causing them to immediately stop, straining to stand. However, the hollow showed absolutely no sign of exertion. The only action that he took was the lowering of his oversized blade gradually as he leveled a scrutinizing glare towards the elderly man in acute irritation.

"**Ya know,"** he said, venom dripping from his words, **"Yer ruinin' all the fun."**

Yamamoto's response was silence accompanied with a piercing scowl.

The hollow gave off a low, animalistic snarl before jerking his stare to the wooden floor at his feet. His twisted features scrunched up in thought, porcelain mask continuing to crawl across his face.

"**Che, looks like my time's up."**

As the words left his mouth, Kyoraku emerged from the shadows and stabbed the hollow directly below the sternum straight through until his sword emerged from the back. The demon sputtered a final, dark chuckle before his mask cracked, shattering into pieces and falling onto the floor boards below with resounding thunks. His eyes quickly drained of the inky onyx, reverted back to the original soft brown and white.

Ichigo's sword slipped from his limp grip and clattered loudly when it hit the ground below. Blood ran down his chin as he weakly coughed, steadily dripping off his chin. He looked down in confusion when he realized the pain in his stomach while one shaking hand found the steed blade imbedded firmly in his abdomen. In an instant, his eyes rolled back as his body fell forward until hitting the guard.

Seeing his opponent in such a state, Kyoraku removed his zanpakuto from the teen. The orange-haired substitute dropped to the floor in a lifeless heap, blood steadily pooling around his form.

Seconds elapsed, gradually turning to minutes without a single soul making a move. Finally, Unohana broke the tempestuous atmosphere and rushed to the boy's side, immediately examining his internal and external injuries. She discovered major damage to the diaphragm, causing Ichigo impaired, labored breathing. Many internal organs were also excessively wounded producing severe internal bleeding.

"Soutaichou," she began softly, "Kurosaki-san requires urgent medical attention or else he will die. Please allow me to take his to my division so that I may treat him."

"You may do so," Yamamoto affirmed, "But I want regular updates on his progress and notice of when he awakens. Interrogations are in order to address the events that have transpired." Withheld anger drowned his tone.

"Yes sir," Unohana replied and gingerly lifted Ichigo into her arms. Fourth division officers flooded inside the room, examining all captains, injured or otherwise, as Unohana retreated to her medical bay. Everyone was left in stiff confusion, unable to comprehend anything that had only just occurred. Although, the truth may not be something many would truly wish to know.

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes, Ichigo returned to the conscious realm. He was first firmly greeted by an excruciating headache shadowed by a draining weakness. His surroundings started to come into focus and he found himself in a hospital room. Multiple varieties of machines adorned the otherwise barren, white room, creating a myriad amount of odd noises. Of these devices, he was attached to more than half, including an IV inserted in the crook of his arm connected to a pair of bags. One had the red coloration of blood and the other clear simple fluids. He moved one hand towards the IV in order to remove it, deeming it unnecessary in his mind, but a shockingly unnerving voice halted his actions.

"If you don't want to lose consciousness again, then I would suggest you keep that in," Unohana warned.

Ichigo slowly moved his hand away from the tubing, terror draining his face of color, "Y… yeah, okay."

The healer made her way to her patient's bedside, all signs of malice vanishing from her features in an instant, "How are you feeling, Kurosaki-san," she questioned while checking the machines.

"Like crap," he responded honestly. He felt exhausted and sore for no explainable cause that he could conjure.

"That is to be expected considering you lost nearly three pints of blood before my team and I were able to stop the bleeding. You also required emergency surgery in order to repair you lacerated diaphragm that impeded your ability to properly breathe. Sections of your liver and stomach also received severe incisions that needed extensive reconstructive surgery and numerous stitches. It is quite surprising that you seem to be recovering so rapidly seeing that you received all these wounds yesterday."

Ichigo stared in blatant shock at this news. He would have never fathomed events of this proportion had occurred, although he knew why. His psychotic hollow had broken out of the mental prison he had forced him into again, going on a spree of violent destruction. These outbreaks had been relapsing far too frequently the past week, meaning that Ichigo would be forced to once more control and contain the hollow lest he lose himself completely to the enraged beast within.

"All your vitals look stable and medication levels steady. I'll leave for now so that you can rest," Unohana said and turned towards the only door present, "If you need anything, just push the button by your side." With that, she quietly shut the door behind her, leaving the room in relative silence.

Ichigo laid unmoving on the stiff bed starring at the bleached ceiling with a morbid expression. How could he have allowed the vivacious hollow to have his way? Was he not strong enough to keep him under control, or was he bound to be suppressed by his personal demon because of his weakness?

He released a shallow sigh, instantly cringing from the pain that miniscule action created. The orange-haired teen finally gave in to his fatigue and let his tired eyes close to sleep as Unohana recommended, but he found this action nigh impossible. His hollow was very enthusiastic when it came to mentally torturing him with sick, dark thoughts and images nearly all hours of the day and night.

To spite him, an echoing laughter reverberated through his skull. He screwed his eyes together tightly and placed his shaking hands over his ears to vainly try to block the unrestrained laughter out.

'_Shut up.'_

* * *

**A/N: I hope that this met everyone's expectations. To clear a possible issue up, I would like to say that, although Yamamoto may seem more careless than normal, he is actually quite furious at Ichigo's actions. He is simply suppressing his emotions at the moment and will displayed then to a much further extent in the next chapter.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!~ ^-^**


	2. The Sentence

"_Mere factual innocence is no reason not to carry out a death sentence properly reached." _

–_Antonin Scalia_

Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me.

* * *

The dim, ominous lighting of the octagonal chamber shone down from above on the center of the room, illuminating the two rows of seats in an eerie fashion. These rows were angled towards the room's center, every seat evenly spaced from one another. Adorning each were rectangular plagues decorated with a single number placed in front of the chairs. The individuals settled behind these veils were masked from the view of all below, obscuring their identities for protection. Among the rows, nearly half of the seats were vacant; void of any presence, leaving large holes in the assembly. Those that were present sat stiffly; not moving a single muscle as they silently watched the being standing before them.

The resounding voice of one of the judges abruptly boomed through the room, "Yamamoto-Soutaichou." There was a slight pause before the wise man continued, "You have been called here to discuss what had transpired two days ago concerning the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo."

The commander looked up to the judge's position in acknowledgement. They quickly continued.

"Is it true that Kurosaki did, in fact, attack multiple captains with the intent to kill?"

Yamamoto simply nodded his head in answer to the question.

Another oppressive silence fell upon the room. A different judge then began from where the other left off, "The aggressive actions displayed during that time have proved this boy's capability to be a substantial threat to the Gotei and the entire Soul Society. He _must_ be dealt with accordingly or further destruction and death by his hands will undoubtedly ensue."

"Agreed," an anonymous member stated, "Our reports have also uncovered the fact that the substitute has multiple characteristics of a hollow, or, more specifically, a vizard."

The chamber erupted in what could be compared to nearly uncontrolled madness amongst the members. Irrational yells exploded from every council man.

"His kind shouldn't exist!" one yelled in pure rage.

"He must be executed!"

"No, that course of action will not solve our problems. We cannot use that manner of punishment with this case," a stern voice firmly commanded the assembly. Many agitated outbursts came forth from this statement.

"Why can we not get rid of this abomination while we have the chance?"

"Because," the same authoritarian voice proclaimed, "He is still a human."

A harsh reticence followed this revelation. This was the truth. They had no authority or ability to eliminate a living human, whether said being had Shinigami, hollow or both powers at their disposal. They would need to develop a different mandate for this particular situation that did not interfere with the laws already set in place. Somehow, the legislation restricting them would have to be bypassed in order to formulate a solution to this problem appropriately so that it would not become an issue in the future.

"Since it is clear that the execution of this human is not a plausible scenario, I suggest that we place him in a restrictive environment in which he can be carefully observed and monitored while not being able to cause harm or destruction," a meticulously slow voice wisely suggested.

"What type of environment?" another questioned in scrutiny.

"The Muken is an available option."

"Only convicts that have committed irrefutable crimes are sentenced there," a grated voice declared, "When taking into account all that Kurosaki has done for the Soul Society while considering his most recent actions against the Gotei, that seems far too extreme of a punishment."

A man furiously yelled out, "None of that matters! We are discussing that the boy has done _now_, not what he did in the past."

"But, this substitute has assisted us on multiple occasions. These instances should be examined alongside his current actions _despite_ what others may believe."

"I may be able to present a solution," one member bluntly stated in a very irritating tone, "Give the abomination to Kurotsuchi-taichou." Murmurs once again broke out amidst the council. "Certain cells in the twelfth division department are enforced with sekki-sekki rock and kido, so the accused would not be able to escape if such an act was attempted."

"Is this truly a good choice?" a low baritone announced, "There is the possibility that Kurotsuchi-taichou could dispose of his prisoner unintentionally."

"Although," another started with a thoughtful accent to his voice, "If the twelfth-division captain was placed with the boy's care, then he may be able to examine his condition, thus discovering some way to rid him of the hollow presence that is truly to blame for his destructive actions."

"True, but is that even possible?"

"What other choice do we have?" one intoned heatedly.

"If we let this monster go free or proceed with a different route, then he would be a danger to all residing in the Seireitei. He _cannot_ be allowed to do as he pleases."

"The accused was able to critically wound over three of the Gotei's _captains_ in a matter of minutes before he was stopped. And, that was all without the use of his bankai that our reports detail to be exceedingly formidable in combat. There is _no_ other choice than to give him to the competent hands of Kurotsuchi Mayuri," said a man with a stern, agitated tone of finality.

Once more, silence ensued, disrupted only by the whispers of a select few. All others were quietly mulling over the facts presented to them. Many valid points had been made on both sides of the debated topic. It would go against the laws to kill Ichigo for his crimes and it would be far too dangerous to let him go without doing anything. Therefore, the previous solution offered seemed like the only logical option in this particular situation.

"It is decided then," one of the six judges declared, "The Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, is hereby condemned to imprisonment in the twelfth division. Kurotsuchi can do with him as he sees fit with the exception of keeping the prisoner alive. Any experiments or procedures of that nature are to be for the sole purpose of finding any mans of extracting the hollow presence."

The attention was again directed towards the bearded individual in the center of the room. "Yamamoto-Soutaichou," the same judge pronounced, "You are to carry out these orders and inform Kurosaki that his crimes of attacking multiple captain of the Seireitei, possessing hollow powers and threatening the peace of the Soul Society have condemned him to his declared fate. Have him transported immediately to this new location in the twelfth."

"It will be done," Yamamoto agreed, inclining his head slightly to show his respect. He promptly took his leave after, making his way towards the exit slowly on his way to deliver the sentence Central forty-six had decided upon.

* * *

The forth division captain sat quietly at her desk, studying the documents in her hand and the information displayed in the carefully written ink. It detailed the condition of an officer from the eleventh that had been dealt a serious wound to the head from a brawl. He was experiencing a slight case of amnesia, thus the reason for why he was placed in her care. Unohana was currently constructing a rough action plan in her head on how to proceed with his treatment. However, she was interrupted from her thoughts when a member of the Onmitsukido appeared kneeling to her left.

"Unohana-taichou," he started, head lowered with one hand resting on the floor and the other on his knee, "I have urgent orders from Yamamoto-Soutaichou concerning Central forty-six's ruling."

She cautiously set the papers down onto the hard oak desk and looked at the man cloaked in black with a skeptical gaze. "Continue."

"Kurosaki Ichigo is to be transferred into Kurotsuchi-taichou's management effective immediately."

A single second passed without a sound. _"What?!"_ she yelled in shock, "Why would he need to be moved? They should know that he is in no condition to be removed from my care with his condition." Her anger was rising fast and she fought to keep it under control.

"Yes, his current situation has been reviewed, but his transfer takes precedence. The twelfth division has assembled and readied the equipment necessary for his arrival." With that said, the Onmitsukido member shunpoed from the room, leaving Retsu alone in her office.

'_What could lead Central forty-six to come to such a conclusion?'_ she questioned, thoroughly bewildered at their final decree for the young man. After all that he had done for them, all the times he had saved both this realm and his own through his selfless actions. How could they not give him a chance to even explain the reason for why he behaved in such an aggressive, uncharacteristic manner before damning him in such a way?

Unohana leaned forward, resting her elbows heavily on the wood as she covered her face with her hands. This information dramatically changed how she thought things would turn out. Of course she had expected nothing good to come from the ruling, but _this_… It was maddening. It did not matter to the man that Central forty-six could restrict him since he would only ignore such trivial rules. There was no telling what kind of horrible, excruciating experiments Mayuri would conduct upon him because of his state as a vizard. It was practically common knowledge that Kurotsuchi had been itching to get his hands on one ever since Shinji and his companions had been transformed and banished. The mere thought of what he would do sent shivers down her spine.

She could not let Ichigo suffer that fate… Could she?

She quickly shook her head. No. there must be something she could do to persuade Central forty-six to change their minds; make them see reason. That may work if she were to tell them how-

'_Wait. Slow down Retsu. You're getting ahead of yourself. Once they've made a decision, they never change it. _Never.' She thought sullenly. After another minute of silent contemplation, the head physician rose from her seat and entered the bustling hallway filled with forth division officers rushing about. She located Isane among the crowd and called the tall woman to her side.

"Isane," Unohana began, "Please gather three seated officers and meet me at Kurosaki-san's room. I have a feeling that this will not go as smoothly as I hope."

"Hai!" Kotetsu said and sped off to another part of the medical facility.

Doors past by on Unohana's left and right as she steadily walked down the hall towards her destination. Finally, she reached the room marked one-hundred and seven in simple, black numbers and she stiffly stood before it, preparing to deliver the news that would ultimately change the teen's life forever. She took a deep breath, placed the familiar smile on her face and opened the door swiftly, entering the room.

Ichigo lay on the white bed, blankly starring up at the ceiling with a dull glaze covering his eyes. He was in the exact same position Unohana had left him in the previous day she had checked on him. His fingers absently played with the hem of the blanket sitting low on his chest as the bloody bandages wrapped around his torso peeked past.

The consistent beeping of the machines next to his nearly motionless body added an eerie quality to the atmosphere in the pale room. But, despite that, he looked somewhat peaceful in this position. It was regrettable that she would have to ruin this.

She made her was to Ichigo's side silently, noticing how he had made no move to acknowledge her presence. He only continued to stare blankly at the plastered ceiling. Unohana had to clear her throat in order to get his attention, "Kurosaki-san?"

The orangette jumped in surprise, eyes immediately coming into focus. He gave a hiss when the wound on his abdomen burst with pain from the movement, quickly dying down to a dull throb. He looked at Unohana hazily before recognizing her.

"Oh, hi," he lamely stated.

"Good evening, Kurosaki-san," she replied with courtesy, "I have something important to discuss with you."

"Alright, shoot." He directed his full attention to her.

The captain took another steady, deep breath before she continued. "Central forty-six have discussed your actions and decided upon the proper course to take for your case."

Ichigo paused briefly before he answered, "They have?" he said with minor hesitance before a questioning gaze overtook his features, "Wait, I thought Aizen killed all the members there?"

"He did," Unohana said with a hint of sadness, "But, since then, we have been slowly reassembling new members to fill the spots of those who have passed. Only half of the positions have been filled so far."

"Huh, makes sense. So, what did they decide?"

Unohana did not respond at first when he asked this, and that caused Ichigo to suddenly develop a deep sense of dread. His stomach felt like it was being frozen in liquid ice as a heavy ball of lead settled in his chest, threatening to drop along with his heart that it grasped with its cold fingers, ensnaring the organ in its vice-like grip. "Unohana-san?" he questioned with unconcealed apprehension.

"You are to be moved into Kurotsuchi-taichou's care and facility effective immediately."

The ball fell along with all his hope. He could not believe it. He refused. This was not –_ could not_ – be happening.

"Wh-what do you mean… N-no. You can't send me to that insane nut-head! He'd _kill_ me!" Ichigo practically screamed in protest, his face paling dramatically.

Retsu's head dropped in either sympathy or guilt. "I'm sorry, but that is what has been declared. I must comply with my orders and transfer you."

"I don't care. I won't go!" Each word was pronounced with terrified ferocity. He turned away from her, accidentally ripping the IV out of his arm before trying to scramble away from the captain.

At this moment, Isane, followed by three other officers, rushed into the room. Their appearance only frightened Ichigo more and he hastily struggled to get out of the bed and the ensnaring sheets. However, at Unohana's command, his arms and legs were swiftly restrained before he had the chance to get very far.

"Damn it! Let me go!" he yelled on the verge of hysteria. His struggles continued even as the healers strapped him down with thick leather restraints.

Suddenly, a thick, heavy reiatsu fell upon the room that caused the lower level Shinigami to fall to the floor from the power.

During this occurrence, Unohana was the first to notice a distinct, drastic change in Ichigo's behavior. The instant the reiatsu descended upon the room, his thrashing movements abruptly stopped. He starred ahead with a frozen look of pure terror etched onto his face. Looking closely as the youth's power increased, she saw small strands of black crawling across his left eye. His irises were also rapidly changing from the soft chocolate brown to a piercing amber. The exact same she witnessed starring predatorily at herself and her fellow captains only two nights ago.

"Isane, administer a sedative _now!"_ the captain ordered with the slightest hint of panic. Her lieutenant immediately sprang into action at the command without a word. She grabbed a syringe from her belt already filled to the correct amount for just such an occasion and hastily uncapped it. Forcefully plunging the needle into the substitute's upper arm, she pushed the vial's contents into his flesh and waited for the medicine to take effect.

Mere seconds later, the unyielding pressure finally began to life, allowing those that had fallen to the floor to pick themselves back up, albeit quite frazzled from the short ordeal. Ichigo had become completely limp on the bed, head lolling to the side with his eyes half-lidded and blank.

'_Even with such a strong sedative in his system, he still has the strength and will to stay awake,'_ Unohana thought with solemnity.

For Ichigo, everything he saw was fuzzy, like he was looking through muddy water. His surroundings were blurred and he could not focus on anything, no matter how hard he tried. His limbs felt like impossibly heavy weights were tied to them, restricting him from moving. Vaguely, he could hear jumbled sounds of people talking, but the slurred noises were incomprehensible to his ears.

He suddenly became aware of something touching his chest and arms and soon began to feel someone move his body forward. At least he thought it was forward. Nausea jumped upon him unexpectedly, causing him to force the bile that rose in his throat down.

Unohana looked at the teen in pity as her officers went to work. At least what they had injected him with caused his hollow to abandon of his assault on his body. For the moment at any rate.

The medical officers had successfully moved Ichigo's limp body into a wheelchair. After reattaching his IV, they hung the bags on the hooks of the poll on the back of the chair. He was a truly pathetic sight. The powerful substitute that had on numerous occasions saved the Soul Society from utter annihilation reduced to a weak husk of the man people knew him as, unable to even speak coherently if he wanted to at the moment.

It pained the kind-hearted captain to look at him in such a state.

Once they had him settled properly, they began to carefully wheel him out of the room towards the dreaded facility he was condemned to; where his will would be eradicated.

* * *

The metal doors opened to reveal a small, dark, laboratory filled with beakers and other scientific objects or contraptions on nearly every counter. Multiple wires littered the ground, forming a colorful maze of cords that would ensnare unsuspecting victims in its grasp, forcing Unohana and those assisting her to tip-toe around in order to avoid being tripped. The wheels of the chair rolled over them with ease, its occupant completely unconscious now, the sedative in his system doing its job.

The small group safely made their way to the other side of the room where they came to another door. A stale, grungy smell hit their nostril after entering and numerous low, grating moans filled their ears. Occasional screams and inhuman yells punctured the air, provoking some of the officers to jump in fright.

It was never a pleasant experience for any soul to travel through Mayuri's prison cells that housed his most recent experiments.

"Ah, you've arrived," a Shinigami with messy black hair in a white lab coat said from the side by the bars of a cell, "We've been eagerly expecting you all day!" This man sounded far too gleeful for his or anyone else's good.

"If you would allow, I would be most obliged to escort you to the location in which we have prepared for this specimen. Unohana-taichou, you may come with me. The others with you are unnecessary," he stated bluntly, looking at Ichigo hungrily like a lion ready to pounce on an antelope.

With some hesitance, the others departed, leaving Unohana to follow the sketchy man before her alone. She gently pushed her soon to be former patient along, his head swaying slightly from side to side limply.

They continued to walk at a relatively brisk pace. Occasionally, when passing an occupied cell, someone – or, in most cases, some_thing_ – would grab at the bars and snarl like a wild animal. It was difficult to not show her sympathy for these entities, seeing them reduced to such a feral state. It made her question whether that would be what Ichigo acted like next time she saw him. _If_ she saw him again.

After walking for a solid minute, Unohana noticed that most of the cells they passed were barren. There would be prisoners sprinkled in cells every now and then, but there were more than a few that were empty. Why was that? She had seen on multiple occasions captives being taken into the prison's depths, so there should be more people present than there currently were. Where were all the others?

The only possible reasons for this that came to mind was that Mayuri must have _disposed_ of them seeing no further use for their existence. Or, he had killed them from too much experimentation.

The kind-hearted healer looked at the boy in front of her. He was so vulnerable right now. It was difficult for her to picture him as the monster that had attacked them. Was this to be his fate as well? Viewed as an experiment for the scientists to play and mutilate with how they choose and then thrown away when their interest in him ends?

"Here we are," her guide said in a sing-song voice, bringing Unohana out of her thoughts. She had not even noticed that he had stopped until he spoke. They stood near a cell similar to all the others. Rust lay on the bars surface in a heavy coat with small puddles of muddy water decorating the floor mainly near the entrance.

Gazing deeper into the dark, stagnant depths of the cell, Retsu was able to make out the arsenal of clean machines placed for Ichigo's continued care standing out like a sore thumb in the dingy room. Somehow, despite their presence, she was having a difficult time believing that they would really be of any assistance.

The scientist swiftly took out a set of keys and fingered through them briefly before finding the one he was searching for. He inserted it into the simplistic lock and opened the cell door with a high-pitched squeak. "Right this way please," he said while motioning for Unohana to enter with a wave of his hand.

With uncertain footsteps, she pushed Ichigo inside the small room. It could be no bigger than eight feet on each side; a very limited even for a child to live in. All that was present besides the medical machinery was a small, gray colored bed that looked extremely dirty and worn. The seams on the edges were beginning to unravel, exposing the many springs inside and holes littered its surface. Definitely not the most ideal mattress to be sleeping on. It did not even have a sheet covering it, but instead only a scratchy, thin blanket was found wadded up at the end of the bed that would hardly hold any warmth. Apparently, comfort was not one of the main concerns of this department.

Once she reached the deteriorating bed, Unohana gently lifted Ichigo's form off the wheelchair and placed him on the bed's surface. The metal springs creaked loudly in protest at the added weight, but held firm. With skillful grace, the captain began to hook Ichigo up to the machines at his side which did not even total half of what were present in the room he had at her division.

"Such a unique specimen," the scientist stated, startling the healer slightly. She did not notice him come to her side. She must really be out of it if she was being that absentminded to her surroundings.

"Ah, yes," he said with a fierce grin. He leaned closer to the unconscious teen, arms folded neatly behind his back as observed every detail he could of Ichigo's visage, "This one will definitely please Kurotsuchi-taichou."

He made a slight clicking noise with his tongue before straightening. "You may leave now. We will have everything under control from here on."

Taking one last look at the orange-headed teen, Unohana reluctantly turned towards the open cell door. After she crossed the threshold, she paused, head lowering in shame and shoulders slumping.

"I'm sorry."

Those were the final words she spoke to the substitute who was not even awake to hear them. Her apology fell on painfully deaf ears, making the entire situation that much more agonizing.

The healer walked swiftly back down the hallway, easily remembering the few turns to take. However, her focus was elsewhere. All she could think about was how she had just handed the defenseless substitute to the wolves without protest. She tried to focus on the sound of her footsteps that slapped softly against the hard stone ground, echoing lightly against the walls of the enclosed space as a distraction from her chaotic thoughts. Anything was better than the deed she had just carried out.

It took less than five minutes before Unohana found herself in the linoleum tiled lab. She did not stop though until she reached the door to exit the twelfth division, desperately wanting to escape from the building as quick as possible.

Once she finally arrived outside, the unmoving, bearded figure of Yamamoto greeted her, standing stiffly with wooden cane gripped tightly in hand. He was ominously silent even as Unohana stalked towards him.

The stoic commander gazed at her piercingly, continuing to stay silent. Unohana looked back intensely, not breaking eye contact for a second as she wordlessly told her superior how she truly felt about what had been done. He made no comment.

"I have done as you have requested, sir," she nearly spat the last word out in pure anger. She was so disgusted with what had transpired and what the repercussions of her actions would undoubtedly be.

The Soutaichou nodded once at her words and turned away from Unohana. He then firmly starred at the building housing the accused, slatted eyes opening ever so slightly for him to direct his gaze filled with firing rage at it.

The fourth division captain took this as her cue to leave. She turned on her heel and stalked back to her medical bay, a deep, depressing aura following in her wake like a lingering shadow.

The commander's grip tightened on his cane, the wood creaking in response to the increased pressure. He tensed, whether from anger or another emotion could not be discerned. This was for the best; the only decision that was logical given the situation presented. Despite everything, _this_ was the only course of action that could be agreed upon.

_Despite everything._

Yamamoto gave a deep, frustrated sigh that rattled in his chest as he eased the near bone crushing grip he had acquired on his trusted cane. In a stiff manner, the old man raised his chin and, similar to his fellow captain, turned his back on the scene.

He walked away, staff clunking on the stone tiles beneath his feet consistently with every two steps.

This was for the best. It had to be.

Right?

* * *

The world spun chaotically. Everywhere he looked seemed to be dropped in a swirling vortex. Colors blended and blurred together creating a vibrant, nauseating image. It was as if someone had decided to take the room, stuff it in a washing machine, wring it out and slap it back into place while the colors ran so they could laugh while Ichigo struggled.

God he _hated_ it.

Ichigo held his aching, throbbing head in one hand. The other he used to push himself off of whatever he was laying on, succeeding with shaking limbs to get his torso up. This brought a small smile onto his lips at his achievement, but it was quickly whipped away when his elbow slipped off the edge, causing the rest of his body to unfortunately follow.

The substitute gave a startled cry before it was abruptly cut of when he connected with the hard, jagged ground. Pain erupted from everywhere and he let out a strained moan.

Clutching his now pounding head with both hands, Ichigo stiffly laid on the cold floor, internally debating if he should try to move again despite the pain. Eventually, he made to shift onto his side she a sharp stab of agony attacked his midsection.

Okay, maybe it would be best to stay in this position for a while.

Ichigo continued to lay unmoving on the rough ground. He kept his eyes screwed shut, afraid that whatever distorted mess he was met with would only worsen his already excruciating headache.

Minutes passed that could have easily been hours as far as the orange-headed youth was aware before he gathered the strength and courage to move again. He slowly shifted his body so that he was positioned on his side. From there, he was able to use the edge of the bed as an anchor. With much effort and patience, Ichigo made it to his knees, gasping for breath.

Resting the side of his head on the grungy mattress, he tried to regain his depleted strength. During this time, he decided to take a look at his surroundings now that they had stopped spinning.

He definitely was not in the fourth division as he had originally presumed by the familiar beeping and the presence of the IV in his arm, although that had been yanked out when he had harshly fallen. He was able to see the small puncture mark from where his arm lay, leaking a sizeable amount of blood that was soaking into the dirtied fabric. But that was besides the matter. Instead of being assaulted by the blinding white walked he had grown accustomed to in the medical bay, a stony gray greeted him. Slick, wet rocks made up all sides of the room except for one composed of rusted steel bars narrowly placed next to each other. In the corner was the frail bed he was leaning against along with the machines playing their consistent tunes next to him.

His head slowly lifted as he took in these details with shock. Where was he? Why was he in a cell? What had he done to deserve-

Memories flooded into his mind, recent events settling into their proper places. Everything from when Unohana informed him on what Central forty-six had decreed to when they injected him with something after telling him that they were going to take him to Mayuri.

His eyes widened as he looked frantically around his cell again. If that was the case, then was he really in Kurotsuchi's prison? The breath hitched in his throat. Did they really just give him to the maniac? No, they would not do that, would they?

The evidence was right before him to that question.

Ichigo shivered on the damp floor and he wrapped his arms around his torso for warmth. He felt so cold and… empty inside, like he was missing something. Something important… One hand absently reached behind his back as he thought about this and grasped thin air.

He did not have Zangetsu.

His heart stopped for a brief second at this revelation.

Turning his head around even way possible, he desperately searched for his missing zanpakuto. He even resorted to crawling on his hands and knees to inspect every corner of the petite room. But he had no luck. His sword was missing and he had no idea where it could be. Although, there was one place he had not yet searched.

Outside the bars.

Slowly, he crept towards the rusty metal rods, inching forwards. Once he was directly in front of them, he peeked between the narrow spaces to look into the dark hall. At this angle, he could barely see anything except for the similar cell in front of his own. He grabbed one of the bars and tried to angle his head to see around the corner. At least, that was his plan. As soon as the teen touched the corroded metal, all of the bars began to glow an ominous red before giving him a harsh shock.

He yelped and immediately recoiled, shaking his burnt hand to dismiss the pain. Ichigo gazed warily at the offending wall of poles that had dimmed down to a nearly translucent burgundy coating the surfaces, but did not dissipate completely.

Of course they could place a defensive kido on his cell. They perceived him as a menace already, so why not make it that much more difficult for him?

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Ichigo forced his mind to stop traveling down that line of thought and focus on something else. The perfect example would be how he was going to get out of this mess he was in currently. Eventually, he was able to make his way back to his dirty bed. He was able to slowly ease his body onto the mattress and stiffly sat in the corner. The substitute brought his soaked knees up to his chest and buried his still aching head in his legs, a sudden weakness overtaking him.

This entire situation he was in seemed like a dream, or, more accurately, a horrible nightmare. All the events leading up to this moment were practically a blur, happening so fast he could barely comprehend any of it. He certainly understood to a certain extend why they did some of the things to him such as how they had to wound him in order to stop his rampaging hollow from hurting anyone else. But _this?_ Were they not aware of how the twelfth division captain would treat, or more likely, kill him?

The sound of quick footsteps filled his ears. Two sets coming down the dimly lit hall. Ichigo's anxiety rose, heart quickening with every passing second that the unknown entities got closer and closer to where he was. He tried to hide, make himself smaller on the bed by drawing his legs in tighter than they already were. He was a caged animal, and whoever was walking down that hall was the hunter coming to admire their frightened prize.

A white cloaked figure walked in front of his cell, painted face splitting in a smile of pure glee exposing nearly all of his teeth. Nemu idly stood behind him, holding a silver object that he could not clearly see.

Mayuri brought his long middle finger to the bars of the cell and quickly swung it across in a horizontal sweep. The nail clanged against the metal loudly, eliciting a startled jump out of the occupant within the room.

"Looks like our _powerful_ vizard is really just a scared mouse," Kurotsuchi sneered, eyes alighting with unrestrained hunger.

The mad scientist snapped his head away from his prisoner and towards his obedient lieutenant, "Nemu! Open his cell!"

"Hai," she responded in a monotone mutter before briefly chanting, disengaging the kido. She then took out a key and placed it in the lock, opening the door.

If Ichigo could have, he could have hid under the bed like a little kid hiding from the monsters in their closet.

Mayuri came up next to Ichigo's small bed, his hands folded behind his back, "My, my. You _are_ an interesting one, aren't you? That demonstration you gave to us days ago only let me know that," He leaned in closer and grabbed the top of the teen's orange head, "I_ had_ to have you."

Ichigo shuddered before swatting the captain's arms away, narrowing his eyes in hate despite the conflicting fear that was festering just below the surface, "Don't touch me."

Kurotsuchi frowned momentarily before an insane grin broke out on his face again. He roughly grabbed Ichigo's chin, forcing him to look directly into his eyes as the teen attempted to scoot back even further into the wall, "I don't think you understand,_ boy._ I _own_ you now, and you can't do _anything_ about it."

The substitute's eyes filled with fear; pure terror nearly drowning him alive. The captain harshly released his chin, causing Ichigo to fall to his side. He was still very weak; drained of all energy.

"Take the specimen to my private lab, Nemu. We can proceed with the experimentations there in more… solitude."

His lieutenant gave a brief reply of conformation and approached the petrified orangette. She brought the metal object in the hand forward, revealing it to be a medieval looking contraption. Before he had time to blink, the expressionless lieutenant had pinned his arms behind his back. She instantly snapped two metal cuffs onto his wrists and a larger one across his neck that resembled a collar. Identical chains were connected from each wrist to his neck, severely restricting his movements. Once the device was firmly in place, Ichigo felt his reiatsu being constrained, preventing him from retaliating against his captors.

Ichigo was forcefully pulled off the bed by the small woman where he stumbled on his feet to regain his balance. He swayed slightly and would have fallen over without the use of his arms if not for Nemu placing a stabilizing hand on his shoulder. She then began to push him forward, forcing him to stagger out of the cell.

They traveled down the musky hall at a slow pace that Ichigo was barely able to keep up with. They passed by many other cells on their way before exiting the prison area, entering the main corridors of the twelfth division.

Ichigo was sweating bullets by this time and his weakened state was making him constantly trip over his own feet.

"The first test we will perform will be an examination of how your internal structure functions," Mayuri started, a deranged glint sparking in his eyes as he gazed over his shoulder at his prisoner, "Then, we can observe how much your body can tolerate when dealing with pain. I think electrocution would have an interesting result given your physical composition. Although, perhaps testing the effects of different toxins on your systems would yield more intriguing results."

Ichigo's blood ran colder with every word the twisted captain spoke. He was talking about _dissecting_ him?! How was he even going to survive something as horrific as that?

He stumbled over a protruding tile and would have fallen had Nemu not been by his side to catch him. He was forced to keep walking, each step filling him with more dread as ice steadily grew in his chest.

About five minutes passed, during which Kurotsuchi gladly continued to inform his captive on his plans, when the trio reached a steel door. Before opening it, the captain turned towards Ichigo and brandished a wicked sneer that twisted his features.

"This is where all the fun happens," he hissed exuberantly as he opened the door. The sight that met them was something out of a horror movie. Aside from the enormous screens decorating the walls, there were numerous glass containers filled with unidentifiable objects. Some looked suspiciously like human body parts while others simply looked like globs of radioactive goo.

A powerful push forced the youth into the terrifying room where he was practically dragged to a flat steel table with restraints attached to its surface. After his cuffs were released, he was strapped down onto the cold surface by his wrists and ankles.

Ichigo, through the entire process, struggled and screamed as much as possible in his current state. But it did no good. None of his struggles proved to be fruitful and only slightly stalled the inevitable.

After he was securely strapped to the table, Nemu left his side to join her captain at one of the large computers. They began to discuss specifics on the procedures, but Ichigo hastily ignored them. Instead, he looked around the room for some way to escape. There was nothing he could find except for more fear-inducing objects that made him shudder. He was about to abandon his search when white briefly flashed in the corner of his vision.

The substitute quickly snapped his head over to where he saw the bright color and desperately searched for it in the large room. Finally, he spotted it again and what he saw caused him to gasp.

It was Zangetsu. His zanpakuto was _right there_, in this very room.

And he had no way to reach it.

It was futile. He was a failure. Regret washed over him in a tidal wave. Depression gripped him in its cold, dead grasp. He truly could do nothing. He was utterly alone.

'_**You will never escape,'**_ the cold voice of his hollow whispered in his mind.

Ichigo, despite how much his instincts screamed at him, listened to the monster instead of shoving him away.

'_**Did ya really think that they would just free ya after ya practically let me loose?'**_

'_But I didn't-'_

'_**Don't kid yerself, King,'**_ the demon sneered, _**'It's all yer fault that ya ended up as a lab rat. It's because yer **_**weak.'**

'_N-no…'_

'_**Yes,'**_ he hissed,_** 'Ya are. An' ya know what? That clown ever there is gonna kill ya. He'll rip yer body to shreads and leave nothing but pieces for his lackeys to clean up later.'**_

Ichigo was silent, absolute chaos running amok in his head. He was so terrified by his predicament that his hollow was actually started to convince him that there _was_ no escape.

He was going to die.

'_**That's right, King. They're gonna torture ya to the point where ya can't even scream. Cut you open and tear out everythin' that makes ya tick. Then, once ya finally become a borin' piece of trash to them, they'll slit yer throat. You **_**will**_** die,'**_ he whispered with malice lacing each syllable.

The teen was scared to the core and he believed every word.

"Begin the administration, Nemu," the high-pitched voice of Kurotsuchi ordered, snapping Ichigo roughly out of his trace and back to reality.

"Hai, Mayuri-sama," Nemu said and approached the teen's side with a large syringe filled to the brim with a glowing blue liquid.

Ichigo's eyes widened at the site, pupils contracting in fear. He thrashed as much as he could on the metal table, failing to get away from the sharp needle steadily approaching his side.

'_**I could end all of this,'**_ the hollow purred in his mind, caressing him with the simple thought.

"No, no, no!" Ichigo yelled out loud in response, not taking his eyes off of the syringe.

'_**That's not yer choice anymore.'**_

The substitute suddenly ceased his movements, body falling completely still. From the corner of his left eye, a trail of pure black appeared crawling across his sclera.

Outside the twelfth division, a bone-chilling scream pierced the air.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, long time to see. Hehe… *hides* Please don't kill me! But look! I finally got this story updated after… nine months. *facepalm***

**Anyways, sorry to leave you gys on such a cliffhanger there. I can be horrible, I know. Although I am happy to say that I have the rest of this story COMPLETELY planned out already. It will be a total of six chapters so you have that to look forward to! **

**I hope that I was able to convey Yamamoto's conflicted attitude in this chapter accurately. My goal was to expose his feelings of resentment towards having o do these things to Ichigo who he sees as just a boy still, but he does not want to go against the law of the Central forty-six. He's going through a lot of inner turmoil on the matter.**

**On a side note, I recently was going over the first chapter for this story as well as some of my other work and I realized that it was completely HORRIBLE! Seriously, I thank whoever favorite or alerted to this story before I edited it because it nearly made my eyes bleed when I reread it. Thankfully it has been edited so if you like, you can go read the newly improved ****version of the first chapter of both **_**Meetings Gone Wrong**_** or **_**The Woman In Black**_**. **

**Long author's note is long.**

**Okay, so the next update for this story I promise will not take me nine months. I'm estimating that I'll have chapter three out in a couple of weeks, but I refuse to set a specific date for when. Just know that you should see the next installment in about three to four weeks. Maybe even faster if a lot of people review! :D **

**Which brings me to my next subject. Thanks go out to all of those who reviewed for the last chapter! You people are the ones that kept me alive and writing! *hugs* If any of you reading this now would be so kind to leave a review or comment about this chapter, then I would love you forevah!~ **

**I think that's everything I needed to say. So, I look forward to hearing from everyone and I will see you again next time! :3**


	3. The Escape

**WARNING: This chapter contains violent themes and descriptions that may be disturbing for some readers. Please keep that in mind while continuing to read. Mainly present during the first half.**

**Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me.**

* * *

_ "The object of life is not to be on the other side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."_

_-Marcus Aurelius_

* * *

Outside of the Research and Development department, screams of excruciating pain penetrated the air. A multitude of crashes soon followed before one of the thick off-white walls exploded outwards. Debris and dust flew about in every direction, clouding the area to the point where only shadows were discernable.

Slowly, the dust gradually began to settle to provide minimal visibility. What was revealed was complete destruction. Nearly half of the wall, almost twenty feet of thick brick, had been destroyed; reduced to rubble. A rather large section of the remains was piled a short distance away from this wreckage, finally coming into focus. Small glimpses of pale alabaster peaked through the stones, progressively becoming more distinguishable. Eventually, the nearly unrecognizable form was exposed entirely.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

His pasty, painted skin that was only a shade lighter than the broken bricks surrounding him instantly gave away his identity. The multiple gashes and cuts decorated his flesh were gushing blood, marring his form to the point that anyone glancing at the wreckage would only be able to distinguish a gory, mangled mess.

One of Kurotsuchi's arms stuck out of the rubble at an odd, painful angle to the left. However, the only thing remaining of the other appendage was a mutilated stump. From the shoulder down was gone, only spindly remnants of muscle, tendons and blood vessels lingered limply from the site.

Whether the deranged scientist was breathing or not – alive or dead – could not be perceived at the time.

Near the abolished wall, a figure emerged from the shadows within the building. The black robed frame held a posture was brimming with confidence, his sword held leisurely at his side. While his face was half concealed by a mask with a single red stripe running vertically down the side, he could be easily identified, if the radiant orange hair was anything to go by. A broad, maniacal smile split his face as he stared at the form of his opponent. In his left arm dangled the severed appendage of the fallen captain, a sluggish stream of blood dripping steadily from the end. The black nails on it were all severely fractured with the one in the middle, longer than the rest, broken cleanly down the center.

The possessed figure indolently swung the limp arm from side to side, watching as the blood splattered on the dirtied floor. Then, he roughly tossed it to his left where it landed with a dull thud against a broken lab table.

**"It always amazes me when I see how weak an' frail ya Shinigami are,"** the hollow began, stalking towards the pile the captain currently resided in, **"I play with ya fer only a couple a minutes an' then ya brake."** He knelt down to where the pale man's head was, one hand on his knees while his cleaver-sized zanpakuto rested on his shoulders. Instantly, his character changed like the flip of a switch. His crazed smirk vanished, replaced by an angered scowl filled with mirth. He spoke in a low, threatening voice, **"Now I gotta find myself a new toy or I'll get bored."**

Suddenly, the loud, piercing sound of the alarm traveled to his ears, broadcasted throughout all of the Seireitei, _"Warning! Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, has escaped confinement in the twelfth division. All available officers in the vicinity are to detain him immediately. Proceed with caution! Warning! Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, has escaped confinement in the twelfth division. All available officers in the vicinity are to detain him immediately. Proceed with caution!"_

The message repeated a couple times more before the alarm quieted and ceased all together. The masked teen grinned at the announcement as a dark laughter bubbled up from his throat.

**"This may make things a little more interestin,'"** he said in glee.

Getting up from his crouched position, the hollow walked slowly out of the nearly settled dust and into the open. He was met with the sight of a multitude of Shinigami already rushing to his location after hearing the warning seconds before, swords drawn and ready for battle.

He gained a ravenous glint in his eyes as he surveyed those rushing to meet him. **"Come on then! Let's dance."** He sprang into action after than proclamation, running to meet his adversaries head on. The mask on the left side of his face was continuing to inch farther across his skin with every minute.

The closest Shinigami to his position, a girl with wavy red hair and freckles dotting her cheeks, was the first to engage in combat with the demonic teen. She gave out a worthy battle cry and brought her released zanpakuto – the appearance similar to a chainsaw with its serrated edge on all sides of the blade – forward in a swift overhead arch. It held the speed and power of an experienced officer, most likely a seated. The resounding clang of metal on metal was the result from her strike as the hollow met her attack with one of his own. However, instead of simply parrying as the woman had anticipated, the masked opponent took his assault a step farther. His swing held much more force than predicted and cut through the opposing sword with ease, splitting it in half.

The redhead's shock at this occurrence was plastered on her face. But that surprise did not stop there. After completing his swing, the hollow spun quickly on the balls of his feet and horizontally cut the girl straight across her abdomen.

She fell to her knees as she grasped the site of her wound with both hands, blood seeping from it and the corner of her mouth. Looking up at her enemy with dulled eyes, she let a single tear fall down her cheek before the upper half of her body slid to the side and fell to the ground as her lower half slumped forward completely.

With the broken zanpakuto lying beside her severed body, the unnamed officer died, cut cleanly in two by a single strike; one of the first victims of many more to come.

After defeating the first Shinigami, the hollow joyfully proceeded to the next. Flipping his sword around by tossing it in the air so that it was reversed from the normal grip, he thrust the steel blade backwards, impaling the man through the chest attempting to get him from behind.

He pulled Zangetsu out of the flesh and readied it for the three coming from the side. With a quick shunpo, he appeared mere feet in front of them. Before they had the chance to grasp what occurred, the perpetrator swung his sword up, effectively sending the one in the middle of the group off his feet and up into the air, a trail of crimson in his wake. During the few seconds that the Shinigami spent making his way back to earth, the masked individual used to dispatch the other two on either side of him.

Swiping diagonally across the torso, the hollow cut his opponent on the right from shoulder to pelvis. The brown-haired soldier immediately fell from the attack just as his killer turned to deliver a swift kick to the knee of the blonde to his left. An audible crack was heard on impact as the bones snapped on contact, only brittle twigs compared to the hollow's power. The blonde female let out an agonizing scream and crippled to the ground.

As she grasped her leg with shaking limbs, her assailant stepped up beside her and reached for one of her quivering arms. Once he got ahold of the appendage, he pushed the girl onto her back with his foot, keeping the limb in a tight hold. With a malicious grin, the possessed teen began to pull at the arm, eliciting more screams from the hapless victim.

Almost instantly, a wet, tearing sound traveled across the space currently being used as a battle field. A sickening rip came after as the arm was torn from the body, looking similar to how Kurotsuchi's did once his appendage was gone. The hollow flung the limb away in the same fashion as well before piercing the blonde's chest with his bare hand.

It was at this point that all signs of life vanished from her eyes.

He pulled his hand out of the stilled chest, along with a seizing heart. He brought it up to his mouth and ran his tongue slowly across the muscular surface, lapping up the blood before sinking his teeth in it. He savored the meaty bite before tossing the rest of the organ away into the dirt where it continued to feebly twitch.

The hollow swallowed, whipping his mouth with the back of his hand, and turned back towards the Shinigami still present. More continued to arrive in order to aid the situation. Most that had witnessed the act were stunned to the point of repulsion and horror, not being able to move while others were utterly terrified.

The hollowfied teen released a chilling bark of laughter that echoed ominously off the walls. Many backed up, but it seemed to jostle the Shinigami out of their stupors and back into action against the enemy they faced, despite their overwhelming fears. They had a job to do; to stop the man – or creature from hell – at all costs.

The battle began anew as the officers rushed at their target again. The hollow met them all with vigor, swinging his blade left and right as scarlet flew in all directions, staining the ground it fell upon.

Every attack, jump, dodge, kick or punch the battle-crazed teen made held unmatched power and grace in each movement. He was a beast of destruction bounding among the corpses of those fallen by his hand. The fluidity of his actions could not be matched or countered in any way. He was truly dancing among them it seemed; a demonic dance of death where he would be the only one left standing when the performance was done.

**"More, more, ****_more!"_** he yelled into the hordes of people, **"Someone fight me who ain't a weak-" **He stopped midsentence as his control on the body wavered, freezing him in place temporarily as he fought with the other occupant of his mind for dominance.

"Now's our chance! Get him!" a brave Shinigami ordered upon realizing that their formidable opponent was temporarily open to their attacks. In a desperate attempt to end the slaughter, they all charged at once, swords drawn back and ready to defeat the lone figure frozen before them.

They were nearly upon him now, only yards away. With one final push at his so-called King, the hollow managed to gain control completely once again, right as tens of blades were poised to skewer him where he stood. In the split instance that it took for him to grasp his situation, he decided on a quick course of action.

The instance before the numerous blades were to imbed themselves in his flesh, the hollow spun in a full circle with his blade's edge out, muttering two words barely above a whisper.

**"Getsuga Tenshou."**

A massive band of black slammed into those on all sides of him. The force of the attack, however, did not stop with the massacre of the Shinigami in his general vicinity. It continued outwards, spreading until the circle of black power collided with the nearby buildings. Any Shinigami that were unfortunate enough to be in the path of the attack were taken out. The structures that the attack hit crumbled instantly from the impact, entire buildings falling apart as if they were a house of Legos being kicked over.

The cause of this destruction idly assessed his work, a lopsided smirk adorning his visage and zanpakuto resting on his shoulder. With a pensive sigh, he willed the cloth wrappings of his sword to envelop it and placed it on his back.

**"That was kinda fun, but,"** he said off handedly to anyone still alive or conscious to listen, **"I'd best be getting' gone."**

Reaching one hand above his head, the masquerading youth gathered black reiatsu at the tips of his fingers. Then, forming his hand into a claw, he swiped down. Instead of only going through air, his hand tore a rip in the space it passed through, one which he then proceeded to widen by pulling at both sides.

He had successfully opened a Garganta.

Not wasting time, the hollow stepped through the portal and it immediately snapped shut.

He had escaped, leaving countless dead and injured in his wake.

* * *

Rukia was running, running as fast as she possibly could. She had already shunpoed most of the way to her current location and was now forced to sprint the rest of the way in because of the maze-like arrangement.

After hearing the broadcasted message, the first thing she did was burst out of the eighth division corridors and rush to the twelfth. Her actions were so abrupt that she startled and knocked over some of the people nearest to her.

She sure did pick one hell of a day to go personally to ask her brother something, hence why she was in his division and not her own. It had been a trivial matter too, not holding much value. But of course, she had gone directly to his office because she had wanted to talk to him about how well her training was progressing since they had returned from Hueco Mundo. Her captain even mentioned the possibility of promoting her soon, so she wanted to personally tell him the good news.

_'Stupid, stupid, stupid!'_

If she had been at her own division, then she could have been at the site minutes ago instead of still rushing to it. Fate seemed oh too willing to mess with her lately though, giving her the middle finger at anything she did.

Rounding a corner, the petite noble could tell that she was finally about to reach the desired division. Only a few more turns and she could make it to find out exactly what was going on. In her mind, there was no way that the Ichigo she knew would harm other Shinigami for no reason. She had not even known that he was in the Soul Society in the first place until the grand announcement had been made making it sound like he was going berserk. He _had_ to be doing whatever it was for some logical reason. Either that or someone had gotten the information wrong. That had to be it. She could not bring her mind to come to any other conclusions because that was all that could be possible. Nothing else made sense.

A ground-shaking explosion caused Rukia to lose her balance and pitch forward, scraping her arms and face against the rough stone she treaded. The trembling soon ceased after a matter of seconds and she was able to pick herself off the ground. With not a moment of hesitation, she took off towards her destination with renewed determination. The explosion most likely came from where Ichigo was at, and that could mean that he needed her help.

Turning the last corner, she stumbled over some debris that littered the ground near a half-destroyed building, but this time skillfully regained her balance before she ended up sprawled onto the ground again. Maneuvering around the rubble, she soon reached the edge of a clearing that held barely any resemblance to what the area previously looked like. Truly a field a death.

Stilled bodies of her fellow soldiers covered the ground, lifeless and mutilated nearly beyond recognition. Many had nearly unimaginable wounds ranging from missing all limbs to being cut in half from the middle of the head down, exposing all the fleshy organs inside that were spilling out. She even managed to glimpse an unfortunate corpse that had its entire chest torn apart. The sternum was split in two, leaving the inner workings visible. But, what was most disturbing was how the lungs and heart were torn out and laid beside the body with odd chunks missing from them.

A flash of orange diverted her attention away from the brutal scene. Rukia's eyes widened notably as she saw the familiar figure that had saved her life more times than she was willing to admit standing in the midst of all the carnage, virtually unscathed. But that was not all that made her body stiffen with surprise.

It was the porcelain mask that covered half of his face that took away her breath and caused her heart to skip more than a beat. Pure white hiding the tanned skin, only disturbed by the streak of red traveling down the side, was placed on the familiar face. It was the mask she had seen only on a few occasions, although with a slightly altered appearance than what she was used to. This partial and growing version of the mask told her that the person she was looking at was definitely _not_ Ichigo, but the hollow that normally resided within his soul; that he had control over.

The monster that nearly broke the Substitute's will not long ago.

Rukia was torn from her thoughts when the imposter posing as the Ichigo she knew did something she was not expecting. He opened a Garganta with ease as if he had done this countless of times before. She was so stunned that she made no movement at all; nothing to stop him as he stepped though the portal and disappeared completely.

"No… no…" the short girl muttered. She took a few steps towards where she had last seen the person she held so dearly to her heart, hand outreached in a feeble gesture to grasp the now nonexistent man back by her side. Her shaking legs eventually gave out and she crumpled to the dirt on her hands and knees, her zanpakuto that she had not recalled unsheathing clanging to her side.

The blood from her fallen comrades was now soaking through the fabric on her legs, but she did not care or even notice at this point because she was numb in body and mind.

A lone whisper holding more emotion than most people are able to comprehend traveled from the quivering Shinigami.

"Ichigo…"

* * *

A black, cloudless night enveloped the landscape with a crescent moon being the only source of light. No stars could be seen anywhere in the vast extensive gloom. Nor were there any signs of life present on the bleached white sand below. In the far off distance, there were vague shapes resembling trees, but those only had the similarities to that point. If seen up close, they could easily be recognized as stone and not, in fact, actual wood. How such structures even formed was a mystery in itself.

Above this motionless, dead landscape, an opening ten feet above the ground came into existence. A tall figure clad in black with a contrasting head of orange emerged, stepping out of the opening in space and descending to the terrain below.

His sandaled feet touched down on the sand in a less than lithe manner. Staggering, the being took only a couple steps forward before the mask he wore cracked and splintered severely. Sections of the material chipped and fell off, disintegrating in the air before being able to reach the ground.

A menacing set of chuckles escaped from the masked creature that sounded somewhat broken, almost like the being did not have enough strength to do so full-heartedly. The cracks in the mask increased.

**"Welcome to yer new hell, ****_King._****"** The mask split entirely and fell off its owner in chunks. The opaque darkness receded from the orange headed man's eyes as he caught a glimpse of the white landscape before him. Just as the last thread of black receded from his sclera, a deep and foreboding sense of despair filled his every thought, right before his body swayed forward and his eyes rolled back in his head.

The black robed boy hit the sand with a dull thump. The final strands of consciousness left the youth in that moment and his mind receded into a comatose state filled with his most dreaded nightmares.

Nightmares that were all too real.

* * *

One short Kuchiki noble was slowly walking solemnly through all of the carnage left on the twelfth division grounds, as were a handful of other officers that had arrived later on the scene. They were examining each corpse they came across – which was not all that difficult considering the vast amount of bodies present – checking to see if they could find any survivors amongst them.

Despite the abundant number she had already inspected, Rukia had found no signs of life. Not one person – or what remained of the Shinigami she found – had a beating heart. From what she gathered from the other officers searching nearby, they were having no luck in their searches either. All were dead, and that thought sickened her to her core.

A nearly mute whimper made her head snap over to the soft noise. She gingerly picked her way across the bodies towards the source and found a young looking girl with short-cropped black hair surrounded by her own blood. A gaping hole was found right above her hip the size of a large fist, covered partially by the woman's quivering hand. Small gasps of pain were the only noise she emitted.

Rukia knelt down beside the girl, checking to see how critical the wound was. It was more serious than she thought as she got a closer look at it. Many of her vital organs were pierced, causing irreversible damage that would not stop bleeding.

She was startled when she felt something grasp her arm. Looking down, she saw the hand of the injured girl desperately clinging to her.

"P-plea…se," the Shinigami wheezed painfully. Tears were weld up in her eyes as she gasped for breath. All Rukia could do was listen and hold the girl's hand in her own. "Ple-ease… Help… m-me. It h-hurts… it hurt-ts s-so bad."

"It's okay. We'll get you the help you need, don't worry." In truth, she knew there was no chance of the girl surviving. The wound was far too severe to be treated even if they got medics to her quickly. All she could do was provide comfort to the poor soul.

"Thank you…" she rasped, relief flooding through her eyes momentarily. "Th-thank…" Her eyes closed and her breathing stilled before she was able to continue.

Rukia sighed heavily. They had been out here for quite some time now, and they had still not found any survivors.

She got up and apathetically patted the dirt off her uniform. Although it made no difference. With the amount of blood staining her clothes, they were undoubtedly ruined.

"Rukia! Rukia!" The distant cry traveled to her ears, sounding distinctly like a certain tattooed redhead she knew.

The eighth division lieutenant barreled his way onto the site not seconds after. His expression was predictable as he saw the area completely and what it held. Once he spotted Rukia though, he snapped out of it and hastily made his way over to her.

"Finally!" he said breathlessly, hands on his knees, "It took me forever to find you! Do you know how hard you can be to find?" Renji asked looking at the girl in question.

She was just about to retort when Renji cut her off. "Never mind, I'm just glad you're alright. After I heard the alarm, I panicked because I knew you'd try to get here as soon as that idiot's name was mentioned.

"So, what exactly happened here?" the lieutenant surveyed the gruesome clearing again, concern lacing his words for not only his long-time friend's sake, but for the strawberry being discussed as well.

"I… I'm not really sure." The noble quietly shook her head as she clamped her eyes shut.

"Oi, Rukia." Now ever more worried, Abarai tried to lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know!" Rukia all but screamed, startling Renji away, "I mean, this is the first that I've heard that Ichigo was even here, but now we have to deal with _him_ too?! I never even knew how he dealt with that-that _demon_ in the first place since he never told me! Those kinds of details are important! Gah!" She flung her hands in the air, breathing heavy nearing on hyperventilation.

"How could he have done something like this?" Rukia muttered in a much more subdued manner.

"Um, Rukia?" the redhead started, hesitant to attempt to stop her from the confusing ramble, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Can you please try to explain it to me a bit slower?"

Taking a deep, calming breath, Rukia turned and looked Renji directly in the eyes, pure anguish causing them to swim. "Ichigo was here, attacking any Shinigami he saw without a second's thought. But it wasn't him!" At this part, Renji became even more confused, "It wasn't Ichigo because he had the hollow mask on, only it was different. From what I've heard from Nii-san, the way the mask seemed to be growing on his face should mean that Ichigo wasn't the one in control, but his hollow."

"Wait, so you're telling me that Ichigo's hollow is the one that did all this?" He made a sweeping gesture with his arm towards the horde of motionless bodies.

"Yeah, I think."

"How did this even happen? I thought Ichigo was in control on his hollow."

"So did I. As we can see, that obviously isn't the case anymore. Something is definitely wrong here and we need to find out what." The familiar Kuchiki glint was beginning to come back into her eyes, steeling her nerves. "First of all why was Ichigo here in Soul Society, specifically in the twelfth division?"

Renji pondered the matter briefly before a thought struck him, "Yesterday, I remember Kuchiki-taichou mentioning something about Kurotsuchi-taichou having a new prisoner or subject. Something along those lines. I only heard part of it so it's not much to go by, but it could have been Ichigo he was talking about. Even though that's a horrible thought," the tattooed man sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Maybe we should ask Kurotsuchi-taichou about it"

"Asking Kurotsuchi anything won't do any good since he's dead," a new voice supplied.

That statement took a few moments to fully process. Both Shinigami turned to the speaker – a disheveled Akon – with incredulous looks.

"What? Dead?! What do you mean 'dead'?" Renji screamed at the man.

"I mean he's dead. I found him buried under the remains of a destroyed wall of our department. No signs of life, therefore, dead."

"How…"

"I don't know the specifics to how he was killed, but my best assumption is that he did something to trigger Ichigo-san's aggression and ultimately his hollow when he was brought in for experimentation," Akon stated nonchalantly.

Little did he know that what he had said was a trigger in itself for a certain short noble. "Ex-experimentation?!" She practically screeched, "What did that psychopathic clown do to Ichigo?"

If it were not for the dire situation they were facing, Renji would have mused at how much the orange-haired teen was rubbing off on Rukia. She normally would never refer to her captains – deceased or otherwise – in such a disrespectful manner. It would have been quite comical, but he had other things to worry about, such as the frantic aristocrat.

Renji sighed. This entire situation kept becoming more complicated by the second. That stupid idiot was always getting into trouble. Nothing could be normal with him around either, could it? It seemed that whenever the teen was present, things went from bad to worse. True, he did manage to help save the day – as clichéd as that sounds – every time, but that kind of work of tiring, damn it! Especially since he somehow was always recruited most of the time to help him out.

Now, to add to the mess currently stewing, he had a practically hysterical woman he had to deal with. Plus, he still had next to no understanding of what was going on with Ichigo and this ordeal that he created.

At this point, Rukia was practically nose to nose the tall scientist as she clutched the front of his hakama with pale fingers, face nearly touching his as she threw question after question at him, not sparing a second for him to answer. The poor researcher was beginning to look distressed at the crazed Shinigami.

"Give him some room to breathe, Rukia!" Renji said as he pried the petite girl off of Akon's front. Once he was able to get her to release her hold, he backed away slightly to give his fellow comrade some space.

The scientist shakily straightened out his uniform and cleared his throat tentatively. Slowly, he began to explain the predicament starting from the beginning to the two in a short summarization based on what they needed to know. All of the details that pertained to their questions were given, filling in the holes of their knowledge to a certain degree. On some instances of his speech, Rukia would look ready to strangle Akon, especially when he mentioned how Central forty-six sentenced Ichigo to free-range experiments by Mayuri. Her furry at those moments could not be matched as it radiated off of her in waves.

Finally coming to a swift conclusion, the third seat finished informing the two. With the excuse that he had other duties he needed to attend to, Akon scurried away, leaving them to dwell on what they had been told. To say that they were surprised would be an understatement. They were bewildered beyond belief, at a stand-still for what to do for their next course of action.

A Hell Butterfly fluttered into sight, daintily flapping its delicate wings as it landed on Renji's outstretched finger. Silently, it relayed its message to him. It took to the air a moment later, its task completed as it returned from where it came.

Rukia looked at her companion expectantly, giving off a slightly curious vibe that contrasted immensely with her current frenzied demeanor. Her eyes were almost pleading to a point, very unlike the normal glint of confidence that always shone in almost any situation she faced. It made her look somewhat… pitiful and frail.

Renji squared his shoulders and told her the contents of the message, "We're both being summoned to the Soutaichou's office immediately. The message didn't say specifically why, but we should hurry. It sounded urgent."

The Kuchiki noble nodded once and together, she and the red-haired lieutenant steadily rushed towards their new destination.

* * *

The large, spacious office of the first division contained only two main items: a thin, wooden desk and a matching tall chair. Both were simple in nature and design, holding no grand significance at all. The only objects placed on top of the desk was a neatly organized stack of files and paperwork, pushed to the corner for later use. One set of arms leaned onto the sturdy wood, crossed in a dignified manner. The owner was sitting hunched in the chair silently as he gazed upon the two officers standing stalk in front of his desk.

They had finished recounting their knowledge about the events of the day from their own perspectives. Now they were soundlessly awaiting for what their commander had to say.

The aged and grayed man pondered what he had heard, rolling the information over in his head. He recalled the recent meeting he had with the Central forty-six minutes before.

_"He escaped. The abomination that we put into your _seemingly capable_ hands has vanished practically without a trace from the Soul Society! The Omnitsukido report we received states that he was able to evade capture by creating a Garganta, which we were not informed he had the ability to perform. Is this true, Yamamoto-Soutaichou?" a head judge ground out, profoundly enraged._

_"Indeed, it seems to be the case," the elderly commander replied in a neutral tone._

_Ravenous yells of protests filled the dimly lit chamber. They were harshly quieted as the same judge continued, "This is unacceptable. The _mutation_ cannot be allowed freedom. We have already determined that his immediate detainment be issued. You are to assign this mission without delay. Be sure that it is completed _without_ complications."_

_"Understood." Yamamoto promptly bowed, leaving directly after with his task in mind._

The Soutaichou gazed down at his hands for only a second before turning back to the pair. "I have a mission for the two of you. It must be performed with diligence and without questions," Yamamoto's raspy voice instructed.

They both instantly perched up at this news as the commander continued.

"The Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, is to be retrieved at all costs from Hueco Mundo. It has been deduced that it is there in which he fled. Prepare yourselves appropriately for this task and depart as soon as possible."

"Hai, Soutaichou!" they said in unison.

"Dismissed." They hastily retreated from the extensive and barren office, hope at last being in their grasps.

He sat back in his chair with a huff. Those two Shinigami knew Kurosaki the best out of all his officers. They would, given the proper motivation, be able to convince the 'convict' to return without unnecessary conflict occurring. At least, that was what he prayed to any deity listening would happen. Things never had gone the way he expected whenever that human was involved.

* * *

**I know, I know. Go ahead and verbally abuse me for not getting this chapter done when I said it would be. I could give you all a whole slew of excuses, but you don't need to hear them. They'd bore you too much. **

**In other news, it's summer (if you didn't know yet) and that means more frequent updates! Hoorah! *confetti* Even though I do have to get a bunch of paperwork ready for college, most of which I'll procrastinate on until the last second before it's due, my time will mostly be dedicated to my stories now. **

**I recently acquired a Twitter account, so if you want updates on my progress you can follow me. The link is in my profile if you want to check that out. :)**

**And, lastly, after I finish up an edit for one of my other works, I'll be starting a YouTube channel based on writing. More information on that will come soon, but this is just a little heads up. Tell me if that sounds interesting to any of you**

**Please leave me your comments in a review to let me know how this chapter turned out and your opinions on it. In all honesty, if you don't review, than the next chapter will be much slower in its arrival since I will have practically next to nothing for motivation! Yes, I am guilt-tripping all of you. Ta ta!~**

**-Shiro**


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